big plans – This is Jugtown

When I originally started this blog I imagined it as a way of documenting the process of developing Jugtown into my ideal of what a farm/homestead (or my farm/homestead) should be. And, while I enjoy this documentation, I sometimes feel like I’ve fallen behind and then I feel like I need to catch up and then everything gets overwhelming and I’m afraid some racoon will smile at me but say he’s very angry that he hasn’t seen me in the while (ok maybe that last part is a nightmare from my very short lived attempt at playing Animal Crossing on E’s Nintendo Switch). But, the point is, I have not really been using this blog as I intended to and I’m not certain I really want it to be just that, so this is just fair warning that I will be writing about possibly not totally farm related (but totally farm adjacent) subjects from here on out. I will also possibly post more often – but honestly, there is no real way of knowing. But I do know that I have many BIG THOUGHTS which will be joining my BIG PLANS in this little internet corner.

And since I love lists (Seriously people, you should see my lists. I have, I shit you not, at least five notebooks which currently contain all my lists. The location of all four notebooks, like Heisenberg’s uncertainty principle, can never be known all at once, and like Schrodinger’s cat, it is possible that if one attempted to locate all list notebooks and check on the status of all lists, someone or something would probably die) I present to you a list of possible, but not at all guaranteed, big thoughts coming to (or not) a blog right here at some point in the future!

Raising meat chickens and what it means to me to raise and slaughter my own animals along with a sprinkling of thoughts about what it means to be a consumer of anything on this planet.
Good Vibes Only Man! Wherein I hate on toxic positivity and the idea that everything has to have a silver lining.
My shameful admission that I bought RoundUp and used it to smite the evil wild parsnips that are taking over and burning the crap out of my legs. Also some questions about permaculture, organic farming, and why I am pro better living through chemistry in some parts of my life, but apparently not all.
How to be more like a chicken and the benefits of doing so.
Social Media and why I think I might use it incorrectly but then it upsets me less.
The triangle of food (or almost anything) being cheap, convenient, and good for you/society and how a lot of things are triangles.
Why I’m allowed to grow a plant which can literally kill many people, but not a plant that just makes you chill for a bit.
Trying to differentiate between things I actually want to do, versus want to want to do.

So that is a list! It may or not be followed by the actual posts listed. I think all the posts will probably contain some type of list since I think they are a great way to present information and I’m impatient and sometimes don’t like using correct paragraph structure.

Here is a picture of one of goats with a chicken on her back:

Don’t let this fool you; Hazel is kind of a bitch.

Things are still mostly hunkered down for the winter here at Jugtown. We had a bit of a weather rollercoaster the last week with one day in the 70s and then four inches of snow the next day. The snow is mostly melted, but I’m not holding my breath for warmth anytime soon – the last frost date in these parts is almost the end of May!

So we’ve been drinking our hot chocolate and building fires and making plans. Big plans!

Here is E’s big list of big plans:

and I have a lot of plans floating around in my head that I have yet to actually put into a concrete list, or at least one coherent list (though a concrete list sounds kind of funny). I do have tons of little lists and ideas and snippets of things I want to look up. E and I are trying to have phone free Saturdays so I have to make a list of all the things I want to look up later instead of immediately grabbing my phone and googling everything. My most recent list consists of everything from how record players work (more on that later) to thermostat wiring and things that are automatic but not electric (a lot more on this later).

Since my big plan list is not ready yet, I did make a list of things I have either learned or accomplished.

Wiring up the new bedroom! Yes this happened and was tested and is successful and no one died! I’m really proud of this.
The furnace in the other greenhouse is working (I guess this is kind of a spoiler…)
The truck has new hubs and a new battery which is properly held in place by a new battery strap and not the piece of crap I picked up at WalMart (yes, I know – but it’s the only place around here we can get prescriptions filled!)
In general I’ve learned a lot about electricity and wiring.
I almost have a fully functioning plow on the front of the tractor/glorified lawn mower.
We got a new stove! (The reason for this is not something that should ever be discussed). I guess it’s not really an accomplishment, but it is exciting!
E and I have done a really good job of not drinking alcohol the past month or so. This is more of a self care/mental health thing, but it’s worth mentioning.

And of course – staying cozy.

edited to add:

I made a pretty excellent list of all our tools and appliances around here. I also downloaded and organized all the manuals for various things (heaters, thermostats, tractors, leaf mulchers) that I have looked up in the past and assume I will need in the future.
I successfully sharpened the chainsaw chain and made a cool kindling splitter

Tag: big plans

Big Plans and Big Thoughts

Staying Cozy and Making Plans